THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
297 
merits, although pointed with iron, near fo good for the 
purpofe, nor to be compared in neatnefs, to thofe of the 
Americans, though pointed only with hone. On inquiring 
into the reafon of this inferiority, I was informed by the 
corporal, who had lived many years amongft the Ameri¬ 
cans, that formerly the Kamtfchadales made ule of the 
fame kind of darts and fpears with the Americans, headed 
and barbed with bone, and were not lefs dexterous in the 
management of them than the latter. We could not un¬ 
derhand one another fufficiently for me to learn the caufe 
of this change ; probably it was one of the not unufual 
effedts of a forced and imperfedi ftate of improvement. 
It fell out very opportunely, that the water afforded us a 
little prey ; for, befides our ill fuccefs in the chace by land, 
We had alfo been difappointed in our expeditions of fhoot- 
ing wild fowl, on a fupply of which we had in lome mea- 
fure depended for our fubf ftence ; and on its failure, be¬ 
gan to think that we had been full long abfent from head¬ 
quarters. 
Our Kamtfchadales now difcovered, that the want of fuc¬ 
cefs, in not meeting with game, was owing to the party 
being too large, and to the unavoidable noife that was the 
confequence of it. We therefore agreed to feparate ; Iva- 
fkin, the corporal, and myfelf, forming one party; Cap¬ 
tain Gore, and the reft of the company, the other. 
Accordingly, after palling the night under our tent, we 
fet out on the morning of the 19th, by different routes, 
meaning to take a circuit round the country, and meet at 
Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The party to which I belong¬ 
ed, took the courfe of the river, at the mouth of which 
we had filhed for the falmon; and, after being thoroughly 
(baked by the heavy rains that fell all the morning, we 
Vol. III. Q q came 
*77 9 - 
September. 
U- nr. J 
Sunday ig. 
